It’s a promise. There will be a longer line of suitors for the Chargers soon-to-be-vacated head coaching office than there has been at the ticket window for home games.

Come to think of it, that wouldn’t be too difficult. But this is an attractive job. A very attractive job. Because of the quarterback _ and location, location, location.

This runs contrary to the thoughts of many Villagers, who falsely and myopically see club President Dean Spanos as a miser who won’t pay an experienced coach the necessary dough. Really. Marty Schottenheimer jumped out of the rudderless plane hanging on a $4-million golden parachute. Norv Turner will vamoose with an extra $3 million in his saddlebags, running his career total in San Diego to about $18 million.

Chump change?

As I’ve reiterated to the point of over-reiteration, the problem with Spanos hasn’t been spending money. His franchise always is near the salary cap. It’s been spending it wisely. Why so many fans consider him a modern-day Silas Marner continues to escape me. But despite the philanthropy of Dean and his wife Susie and the millions the Spanoses have spent in their effort to find a way to build a new stadium and keep the team in San Diego, the boss has not earned the people’s trust.

I’m not sure Los Angelinos would trust him, either (or if he would trust them), but by the time that happens, Dean will have turned the franchise over to sons A.G. and John, anyway

So it will be their problem.

Meanwhile, back to the coaching position/dilemma. The wicket is a bit sticky.

Turner and General Manager A.J. Smith are expected to be fired next week. It also is expected A.J.’s top personnel assistant Jimmy Raye will succeed Smith as GM. It long has been assumed if A.J. had served out his contract through 2014, he would have been replaced by John Spanos, who, besides being smart, has been working diligently in the scouting department for years.

If Raye is the GM, will John, without title, actually oversee football ops? For absolute certain, Smith, a pro, has kept a list of coaches he would hire. Does Raye have his own list? Does John Spanos? For sure, Dean has asked questions of football people he trusts, men such as his good friend Jimmy Johnson.

Between now and the coaching hire we will hear every name out there. And there won’t be a shortage of applicants, because not many new coaches get the chance to work with an experienced quarterback, and the Chargers have one in Philip Rivers.

And they know that, when protected, Rivers remains one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. The mere notion that he’s getting old _ he just turned 31; Peyton Manning is 36, Tom Brady 35 _ is preposterous. That he should be traded is even more ludicrous. There are only a handful of teams in the league that wouldn’t send private jets and limos and order a parade for Philip Rivers.

As we speak, if the offensive line can‘t be rebuilt, it won’t matter who serves as the next coach. Lombardi, Belichick, Landry, Halas and Lambeau could team up and the Chargers would fail. The young defense is promising. But, as my dad often said _ and as I’ve often repeated _ you can’t win if you don’t score. Even Norv, who knows more about offense that most everyone on the planet, can’t get it done with this group.